Twitter Mania!

For those of you in the Twitter world, make sure you're following us!

www.twitter.com/wilcowed

www.twitter.com/cjsoffthesquare

There are lots of other fantastic wedding vendors to follow too - Gray Photography, Belle Meade Plantation, even superstars like Preston Bailey! It's fun, come on. :)

When in Fiji...

...well, I say go big or go home! I am an avid reader of Travel & Leisure magazine, and recently came across an amazing article in a back issue about one of the many private islands, Wakaya, in the Fiji group. Fiji has always been on my top 10 list of places to visit in my lifetime, so it immediately caught my attention, and WOW, what a discovery!

If you are looking for an extravagant, once in a lifetime spot for your honeymoon this is IT. The Wakaya Club & Spa is an all-inclusive resort on a private 2,200 acre island owned by David & Jill Gilmour (they also developed the FIJI bottled water brand). To give you an idea of just how luxe this place is, let me share a few of my favorite details. First, a Wakaya resort representative will meet you at the main airport and personally fly you in their private Grand Cessna airplane to your destination. Since most flights land in this area of the world in the sunrise hours, check in is guaranteed as you step off the Cessna starting at 7am, and checkout is not until 4pm, so that you don't lose any valuable time on your last day. With a staff to guest ratio of 12 to 1, there isn't much you'll have to ask for!

Once on the island, you can just lounge around in your private 0ceanfront bure, or take advantage of the local culture and scenery. The island is completely surrounded by a coral reef, and being in one of the least pollutated geographical areas on the planet, the sites are spectacular.

Now, with my ridiculous taste, I would of course want to spring for the best of the best, which is a 12,000 square foot private villa called Vale O with panoramic ocean views from its hilltop setting. At $7,600 a night (before tax!), I could stay for about...an hour? :)

Also noteworthy is the Gilmours' philanthropy to the Fiji people and culture. They've been recognized by the government for their committment to the preservation of the Fijian culture as well as their personal donations and investments in the educations system on the island as well as their scholarships for Fijian youth to continue in secondary education.

Hope you have as much fun dreaming about this magical place as I do!

Could we have found the NEW CJ's??

Well, not quite, but we did get quite a kick out of coming across this little spot!

While on vacation in Naples, FL visiting my sister, Kelsie and I came across CJ's On the Bay. We were driving by and the sign caught my attention and we just had to go back and get some pictures.

I told CJ that anytime she wants me to go run a waterfront bar, I'm so there! :)

Spring has sprung at CJ's!

CJ and I are so lucky to be able to have our offices at CJ's Off the Square with all its charm and personality (and lack of cubicles!), but there's a window of time - after we take down the Holiday decorations and before the weather warms up - that our sweet garden lacks its magic.

But have no fear, because it's back and bigger than ever! We definitely feel our spirits lift and we have a spring in our step once the garden is in bloom, so we wanted to share a bit of that with you!

Let's take a little tour, shall we...

First up are the Azaleas - they only bloom once a year, usually the middle two weeks of April - and we are SO glad that we have a wedding tomorrow so they can be enjoyed!!

There are also some lavendar Azaleas out in the front, which bloomed a little earlier than the white.

Not entirely sure what the name of this feathery small tree is but I think it's in the Japanese Maple family. I love the light coming through the leaves!

This is our one lone tulip - don't know where he came from, but we're glad he's here! :)

The hydrangeas will be along later this spring but they're already starting to bud!

One of the few remaining blossoms on the Dogwood tree...

A spot of color on our ground cover...

The Willowood Viburnum is in full bloom, which gives a great background to the Pond and the waterfalls.

Even our fishies are enjoying the weather!

And of course the pansies give lots of color to the front planters and the beds that run along the Pavilion.

Not sure what these little blue fellas are but I love them! I'll have to ask Pete and Edgar, our landscapers extraordinairre, when they're here next!

I love love love our wine colored Japanese Maple - I swear it has doubled in size since I started here in 2006.

Well there it is folks! The garden's first month of glory - hope you enjoyed the tour!

Cakes: The good, the bad, the ugly?

It is just one more day until our "Sweet Escape" cake tasting event at Maples Wedding Cakes in Murfreesboro. We hope you can join us!

I was chatting with Jay last night and they were running out of pans to bake over 10 flavors of cake for this amazing tasting event!

Remember, the event is free, but space is limited and you must register in advance.

In the spirit of awesome cakes, I thought it would be fun to pop over to the Cake Wrecks blog.

Some of the cakes on this site are actually pretty good from a technical point of view...but perhaps misguided in theme. My sister in law sent this to me this morning and if we didn't have clients scheduled all day, I just might spend the day laughing and commenting on these crazy cakes!!! Enjoy!

--CJ

Need a getaway?

We often get asked about what inspires and invigorates us in our line of work, to which CJ, Kelsie, and I of course have varying responses. But if there's one answer we share in common it is definitely The Biltmore! Located just outside the charming Historic town of Asheville, North Carolina, it is a favorite vacation destination for all of us. Only a 4 hour drive from Nashville, its an easy weekend trip for you & your fiance or even a girls' weekend with your maid of honor!

This nineteenth century country retreat of George & Edith Vanderbilt really does offer something for everyone. For the adventurous type, try the fantastic fishing, hiking or even the Land Rover Driving School (who doesn't want to tear around a private driving course in killer car?!). For relaxation, visit the Biltmore Inn's spa, walk through any of the Estate's gardens, or luncheon at the Deerpark Restaurant (a fav of mine and Kelsie's!).

And no trip is complete without visiting America's most frequented winery! This is an excellent chance for your and your fiance to pick out some delicious and affordable wines for your wedding, while getting a weekend away together from the hustle and bustle of planning! A particular favorite of ours are their Century blends - the bottles are beautiful and both blends are well balanced and guaranteed to be crowd friendly.

While you're there, make sure you stop in to Downtown Asheville - lots of great shops and restaurants. We suggest tapas and a Blood Orange Spice martini at Zambra on Walnut St!

A visit to the Biltmore (or even just a glass of their wine) always reminds us of just how delightful entertaining can be. We hope you find the same!

Here's a little snippet of our stay last summer!

The classic "self-portrait" approach! The views are simply indescribable.

A fantastic lunch at the Deerpark Restaurant - absolutely one of the most serene meals I've ever had!

Enjoying tapas at Zambra in Downtown Asheville. Not to be missed!

Unexpected First Dance Songs

In the wedding business, you develop a sort of immunity to the Electric Slide and Brick House. Even "At Last," regardless of who is singing it, has lost its shine. Amy and I are both music industry veterans and big time music fans so we like to thing of ourselves as up to speed on what is new and interesting when it comes to pop music. We are always happy to make suggestions for our clients when they need help finding the perfect first dance song but I have to admit, some of our clients where pretty original this year so we thought we would pay them tribute with this mix of our favorites from 2008.

Did we miss your song? Post a comment and let us know what you would like to see in the mix.

Unexpected First Dance Songs:

1. Better Together - Jack Johnson
2. Falling Slowly - Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
3. Just Like Heaven - Katie Melua
4. Over The Rainbow - Eva Cassidy
5. One And Only - Teitur
6. Forever My Friend - Ray LaMontagne
7. When The Stars Go Blue - Ryan Adams
8. Time After Time (Soundtrack LP Version) - Eva Cassidy
9. Make You Feel My Love - Adele
10. The Way I Am - Ingrid Michaelson
11. Forever - Ben Harper
12. Queen - You're My Best Friend

Rhapsody subscribers can download this mix. Just search for "unexpected first dance songs" in Playlist Central and pass it on!